The present invention relates to an improvement in lifts, and more specifically in braking apparatus' used to stop BANK HOISTS and elevators smoothly in over speed situations.
Many home builders and home owners often find it desirable to build on large hills or cliffs overlooking lake fronts or scenic areas. An inherent problem with this type of terrain is that the user of the home often desires to get from the home up on a large hill or cliff, down to the lake or base. This often involves placing several flights of stairs or crossing walkways.
A common solution to this has been the use of BANK HOIST type lifts or baskets which run on a rail system and allow users to get up and down large embankments or cliffs easily and without effort. These lifts can be especially advantageous in transporting materials, as well as elderly and young users of the home, to and from different elevations. Often times these lifts may not be completely vertical as elevators commonly are and will run on a track system using wheels. The lifts are often pulled up and down via a cable system and some sort of pulley which winds or unwinds or turns the cable. It has been found that it is desirable to provide some type of braking system for these lifts that will be activated automatically in an over speed situation, such as when a cable spool or cable breaks. This type of brake would keep the BANK HOIST type lift or carriage from free falling. It has also been found that it would be advantageous to provide a system that would automatically brake or stop the carriage smoothly, with no sudden jerking motion to the occupants, in an over speed situation in either direction.
Finally, a large number of these types of lifts exist and are already installed but use out of date or aging braking apparatus'. It would therefore be advantageous to design a braking apparatus that could be used to retro fit older or existing lifts. This same type of braking system may also be used in other types of lifts and elevators.